Edict of Nantes

The Edict of Nantes was a document signed in April 1598 by King Henry IV of France that granted the Calvinist Protestants (Huguenots) of France substantial rights in the predominantly-Catholic nation. The edict separated civil from religious unity, opened a path for secularism and tolerance, offered amnesty and the reinstatement of civil rights to the Huguenots, and allowed for Protestants to work in any field, work for the state, and bring grievances directly to the king. The edict effectively brought an end to the French Wars of Religion, which had raged since 1562, but the Huguenots would continue to launch sporadic rebellions into the early 17th century. In 1685, the Edict of Fontainebleau revoked the Edict of Nantes, forcing thousands of Huguenots into exile.